Friday Rewind

In a Merkle survey of industries such as health care, retail, finance, tech and nonprofit, 52 percent of respondents overall said they’ve increased their marketing spend over the last few months. For promotional distributors, this may be an indicator of the verticals that are able to spend some money again...

Apparel has been battered since the start of the pandemic, with various sources reporting that overall apparel shipments have fallen dramatically compared to 2019. But there are some signs of life. Apparel was the third best performing promotional products category for the June-July period...

Each year, we dig through the Inc. 5000 list of the fastest-growing private companies in the U.S. to see which promo companies made the list. Here are the ones we found. While there are many traditional promo businesses on this list, not all of the companies we included fit the standard supplier/distributor profile...

There has been little debate among public health professionals that widespread mask use is crucial to slowing the spread of the coronavirus. Where there has been some debate, though, is over the most effective face mask types outside of the approved medical-grade varieties. Which of the many available face coverings protects most against transmission of the virus? We finally have some data...

The National Museum of American Jewish History hit the jackpot when President Trump accidentally pronounced "Yosemite" as "Yo Semite." The museum had been selling a shirt with that text on it since 2011, and sold thousands immediately after the president's mistake went viral, generating $30,000 in a little over a day...

The FDA’s constantly-updating list of potentially harmful hand sanitizers has now risen to more than 135 products. Another U.S.-based manufacturer has now joined the list, too, with Dallas’s Santa Cruz Biotechnology initiating a voluntary recall. Georgia-based SG24 LLC also had to recall its SkinGuard24 All-Day Hand Sanitizer after it was labeled to contain methanol...

Chipotle is keeping things very on-brand and eco-friendly for its next round of merchandise by using avocado pits as dye for its branded apparel. According to Nation’s Restaurant News, Chipotle is using about 300 million avocado pits from its food supply and creating a plant-based dye for T-shirts, sweaters and tote bags...

The FDA list of potentially dangerous hand sanitizers containing or manufactured in facilities containing methanol has reached 114 products. The latest round of additions includes products from several suppliers based in Mexico, as well as Ohio-based Spartan Chemical Co. Inc....

When your client asks for a new T-shirt or hat idea, chances are you send them back a few shirt options in their selected colors and maybe a couple hat styles that fit their idea. It is likely that most of us are operating in this fashion, taking the inquiry and producing what is asked for the client. While this is fine on an introductory level, it puts the reins into the clients’ hands instead of allowing us, the experts, to direct the client...

The FDA has added more products to its list of potentially harmful hand sanitizers that may include methanol. The list, which now totals 87 products, includes products from suppliers mostly based in Mexico, but one newcomer is based in Tennessee. That company, a distillery, is refuting the FDA's claim...